Get Over It

[vc_row][vc_column][title type="subtitle-h6"]Karen Wong[/title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="11/12"][vc_column_text]#TheRealUW is knowing that many students on campus respond to these stories with a resounding, “Get over it.”#TheRealUW is when you are told that you are smart. Based on the color of your skin.#TheRealUW is when you are told that you have a 4.0GPA. Based on the color of your skin.#TheRealUW is when people ask you for help on homework for a class you’ve never taken, but they still expect you to know it. Based on the color of your skin.#TheRealUW is when you are asked what scholarship you’re on. Based on the color of your skin.#TheRealUW is when you are singled out of a classroom of 30 to give a “different” perspective on something you have no idea about. Based on the color of your skin.#TheRealUW is when you are approached and spoken to in Chinese. Based on the color of your skin.#TheRealUW is when you’re asked where you’re from with the expectation that you respond with a different country. And when you are greeted with surprise when you tell them you’re from Wisconsin. And when they continue to fish for answers and ask where you were born. And when they don’t understand that the only island you were born on is Rhode Island. And when they ask the ultimate question of “what are you?” And when  they don’t understand that you are American. Not Asian-American. Not Asian. American. Because American is not a skin color.#TheRealUW is feeling the need to spend four hours crying, screaming, yelling, sobbing, and deciding which stories to put into words instead of doing your school work because these stories need to be told. There is no way to change what has happened in the past,  but it is our responsibility in the present to ensure nothing like this happens in the future.#TheRealUW is feeling shame in writing these stories because you don’t know if anyone will believe you. Because you don’t know if anyone will care. Because you don’t know if it will make a fraction of a difference.#TheRealUW is feeling like you cannot share these experiences or speak up against the bureaucracy because of where you work. And feeling like you’re suffocating when you sit in meetings with those who should be making a difference, but not being able to mention it because you risk losing your job.#TheRealUW is when your mom texts you telling you to be careful because of all the incidents that have been happening on campus, and all you want to say is, “How can you expect me to be careful when people approach me and make me feel unsafe with a look or a word in classes, on buses, on the street, in the dorms, at work, at UW-Madison, the place I thought had become home? How can you expect me to be careful when the reason why these incidents happen is not because the victims were not careful?”So now, please tell me to “Get over it.” Because I am over it. I’ve been getting over it for the last 19 years because of the color of my skin. Because I am American and act more so than you if you have the guts to say that I am not. Because I grew up in Wisconsin and  have dealt with racism since I was 4. Because I woke up at 6AM and went to bed at 3AM too many times in high school in order to earn a scholarship that you could have earned too if you had worked for it. Because I am smart, but I do not know everything. Because I do not have a 4.0GPA, but I have spent endless hours studying in order to earn the grades I do, and although they are not the best, I cannot complain so long as I am learning. Because I do speak Mandarin Chinese, but if all you know is “ni hao”, you’re not practicing, but rather patronizing. Because this piece may have consequences, but I can’t help but believe that the consequences of not writing are worse than that of writing. Because I am ready for change, and if you won’t help, the least you can do is not stand in the way.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]